HOUSTON – A man has been charged in the death of his wife after her body parts were found inside multiple trash bags in southwest Houston in 2021, according to court documents.
Fidel Baquin, 33, a Guatemala citizen, was charged with murder in the death of his common-law wife, Stephanie Marie Hernandez, 43.
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On Sept. 11, 2021, police responded to reports of a body being found around 10:50 a.m. in the 12300 block of Sandpiper Drive.
Responding officers found the woman’s body parts in two to three large black trash bags, covered in flies with a bad odor. According to police, witnesses reported the black trash bags were not at the location prior to 8:15 a.m. that Saturday morning.
According to charges, the woman’s body was bounded into a fetal position, according to charges.
Investigators later identified the victim as Hernandez. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled her cause of death was ligature strangulation.
During the autopsy, records show that a hard plastic red cord, a string trimmer cord, which is used for landscaping, was found around her neck.
A witness reportedly identified Baquin as Hernandez’s common-law husband and stated that he was a landscaper, according to charges.
When officers spoke with Baquin, he allowed them to search his apartment where they found trash bags similar to the ones the body was found inside and string trimmer. According to charges, a DNA test was performed on Baquin and prosecutors had strong evidence that support he was involved in Hernandez’s death, stating that his DNA was on the evidence and her body.
A year after her body was discovered, Baquin was subsequently charged for his role in the murder and booked into the Harris County Jail. His bond was set at $350,000.